Today’s lesson is going to achieve a few things. Students are going to practice trouble shooting and hands on science while making a compass which will be used later in the unit to show the relations between magnets and electronics. Class will start with a little on the history of compasses and magnets in history, as well as their importance then and now and conclude with students making and testing their own compasses.
Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
The intro to today’s class (the history) will be presented with the rationale that it is nice to be familiar with, and will be factual, DOK 1. During the building process as well as the discussion at the end of class students will need to think logically and justify responses while building, troubleshooting and testing their compass, DOK 2 and possibly DOK 3, depending on the questions they students have. The majority of today’s lesson will be at DOK 2
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students will be able to complete the activity satisfactorily with any set of base knowledge; however the following knowledge would make for a more fulfilling activity
• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west
• A compass always points north
• The north pole of a magnet is “north Seeking”
• Be able to picture a compass rose
• balance
Plans for Differentiating Instruction
N/A
Accommodations and modifications
None should be needed, check 504's and IEP's as needed, coach students who need it
Environmental factors
Normal set up is perfect
Materials
For each student?
• plastic drinking straw
• 2 magnets with holes in the center (must be the same)
• 2 pieces of wire, 8 inches long
• A 1” brad
• Plastic cup
For the class
• Assortment of compasses and navigation instruments
Objectives:
• Students will troubleshoot their compass effectively to make it work• Students will recognize that science doesn’t always go smooth
• Students will show the transfer of knowledge from previous units by correctly linking phenomena to the workings of the compass
Instruction:
Opening:
On the way in the students will take the days SS. when students enter the room they will be a bit confused, as the room may look more like a history class then the science room. I will have a world map on the overhead and a backbone of a very simple time line on the whiteboard. I will also have trays of all of the students supplies set up in the room (on my desk?). The days question will be written on the board as well – How did Magnets contribute to the modern world? How’d we find America? Most students will instantly think of Christopher Columbus and forget totally about the possible science connection.
Engagement:
After giving the kids a few minutes to settle in and get there Science Starter done, I will begin the day’s activities. Through a guided discussion I would like to uncover that compasses work due to magnets, that the red end of a compass really has a north pole on its tip, and that compasses and thus magnets were integral to the modern world in terms of trade and navigation. I would also like to see students develop some idea of the time scale of discoveries involving magnets.
With those goals in mind we will start a dialogue by asking questions similar to the following
Who has some ideas about how magnets played a role in the discovery of our country?
Who thinks that we still use magnets for navigation?
How does a compass work?
When do you think magnets were first discovered? Created? Used in the music industry?
During this conversation I will make a point of filling in our timeline, jotting down key notes and referencing the map to try to get the feeling of the huge amounts of Empty Ocean in the middle of the earth that explorers had to sail through.
Once The students have answered the questions in my above goals, or about 10 minutes into class we will transition into the campus activity, I would like to do as little modeling as possible as the instructions are explicit, so I will simply give each person a handout and tell them to come gather there materials. If the students are having trouble as a class we will bring everyone together and explain more. I will make sure to have examples of all of the steps available at the front of the room in an attempt to get students used to the idea of using resources other than the teacher.
Closure:
To close today’s activity we will have a short discussion on the troubles the kids ran into and the methods they used to solve them. I will make a point that this is how real science works. Scientist are constantly starting and readjusting to make things work and to understand the world around us.
Assessment:
Informal, based upon the students work in class and contributions
Lesson Plan
Lesson Title:
Where are we? Magnets and navigationState Standards: GLEs/GSEs
National Standards:
Context of Lesson:
Today’s lesson is going to achieve a few things. Students are going to practice trouble shooting and hands on science while making a compass which will be used later in the unit to show the relations between magnets and electronics. Class will start with a little on the history of compasses and magnets in history, as well as their importance then and now and conclude with students making and testing their own compasses.Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
The intro to today’s class (the history) will be presented with the rationale that it is nice to be familiar with, and will be factual, DOK 1. During the building process as well as the discussion at the end of class students will need to think logically and justify responses while building, troubleshooting and testing their compass, DOK 2 and possibly DOK 3, depending on the questions they students have. The majority of today’s lesson will be at DOK 2Prerequisite Knowledge
Students will be able to complete the activity satisfactorily with any set of base knowledge; however the following knowledge would make for a more fulfilling activity• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west
• A compass always points north
• The north pole of a magnet is “north Seeking”
• Be able to picture a compass rose
• balance
Plans for Differentiating Instruction
N/AAccommodations and modifications
None should be needed, check 504's and IEP's as needed, coach students who need itEnvironmental factors
Normal set up is perfectMaterials
For each student?• plastic drinking straw
• 2 magnets with holes in the center (must be the same)
• 2 pieces of wire, 8 inches long
• A 1” brad
• Plastic cup
For the class
• Assortment of compasses and navigation instruments
Objectives:
• Students will troubleshoot their compass effectively to make it work• Students will recognize that science doesn’t always go smooth• Students will show the transfer of knowledge from previous units by correctly linking phenomena to the workings of the compass
Instruction:
Opening:
On the way in the students will take the days SS. when students enter the room they will be a bit confused, as the room may look more like a history class then the science room. I will have a world map on the overhead and a backbone of a very simple time line on the whiteboard. I will also have trays of all of the students supplies set up in the room (on my desk?). The days question will be written on the board as well – How did Magnets contribute to the modern world? How’d we find America? Most students will instantly think of Christopher Columbus and forget totally about the possible science connection.Engagement:
After giving the kids a few minutes to settle in and get there Science Starter done, I will begin the day’s activities. Through a guided discussion I would like to uncover that compasses work due to magnets, that the red end of a compass really has a north pole on its tip, and that compasses and thus magnets were integral to the modern world in terms of trade and navigation. I would also like to see students develop some idea of the time scale of discoveries involving magnets.With those goals in mind we will start a dialogue by asking questions similar to the following
Who has some ideas about how magnets played a role in the discovery of our country?
Who thinks that we still use magnets for navigation?
How does a compass work?
When do you think magnets were first discovered? Created? Used in the music industry?
During this conversation I will make a point of filling in our timeline, jotting down key notes and referencing the map to try to get the feeling of the huge amounts of Empty Ocean in the middle of the earth that explorers had to sail through.
Once The students have answered the questions in my above goals, or about 10 minutes into class we will transition into the campus activity, I would like to do as little modeling as possible as the instructions are explicit, so I will simply give each person a handout and tell them to come gather there materials. If the students are having trouble as a class we will bring everyone together and explain more. I will make sure to have examples of all of the steps available at the front of the room in an attempt to get students used to the idea of using resources other than the teacher.
Closure:
To close today’s activity we will have a short discussion on the troubles the kids ran into and the methods they used to solve them. I will make a point that this is how real science works. Scientist are constantly starting and readjusting to make things work and to understand the world around us.Assessment:
Informal, based upon the students work in class and contributions
Reflections
(only done after lesson is enacted)Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency: